Blu Release – 3.5/5
Nothing Underneath
Director – Carlo Vanzina (The Gamble, Millions)
Starring – Tom Schanley (Dexter, Charmed), Renee Simonsen (Via Montenapoleone), and Donald Pleasence (Halloween, Prince of Darkness)
Release Date – 1985
Rating – 3/5
Tagline – “Chasing fame is murder”
Vinegar Syndrome continues to impress me with their releases. Their partner labels are mostly entertaining but every month I look forward to the actual Vin Syn releases. They rarely release a movie I had previously seen and most of the ones they bring to my attention are usually a ton of fun. You never know what they are going to release to fans and each month is greeted with excitement from collectors.
A few months ago Vin Syn announced the Nothing Underneath and Too Beautiful to Die double feature on blu and I was very curious about it. I had never heard of these two films and was curious about them. I heard other movie fans call them Body Double clones but that doesn’t really bother me because I had never seen Body Double. I snagged a copy but never had the time to check it out until recently. After watching a few of their partner label releases I decided to turn that into a Vin Syn marathon starting with this double feature.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a forest ranger from the US who travels to Italy in search for his twin sister after he has a feeling that something bad had happened to her. She traveled to Italy in hopes of hitting it big as a model and once he arrives he discovers that she has vanished. He befriends another female model as he searches for his sister and uncovers a string of model’s deaths at the hands of a scissor wielding maniac that is closing to him than he would like. **Spoiler Alert**
As I stated earlier, I had never seen Body Double before so I had no preconceived notions of what this was prior to checking it out. With that being said, I really enjoyed this one. It was a little cliched with one dimensional characters but it was still fun. The acting in this one is not bad but the characters are flat and often blend into the scene. I did like Tom Schanley and Donald Pleasence but the story is the main focus here and not the cast which is a bit of a shame because both did fantastic jobs.
The story for this one is a murder mystery with a bit of a twist with the twin connection. Using the connection that is said to be between twins as the basis for this murder mystery set against the back drop of professional modeling actually works for the most part. It does drag it’s feet from time to time but the killer reveal is worth it. I don’t see myself revisiting this one again but I did like it.
Finally, the film has some bloody moments and one scene with some awesome make-up effects but that’s the extent of it. The movie focuses more on the story than the body count which is a bit of a shame because it could have delivered on both and kept it’s integrity. Overall, Nothing Underneath is a solid watch especially if you grew up watching the late night thrillers that usually played on HBO and Cinemax during the late and early 90s before the softcore stuff came on. It’s worth a watch so check it out.
Too Beautiful to Die
Director – Dario Piana (The Deaths of Ian Stone, Lost Boys: The Thirst)
Starring – Francois-Eric Gendron (Death Run, Murder, She Wrote), Florence Guerin (The Black Cat, Love Sins), and Randi Ingerman (Silk Stalkings, The Watcher)
Release Date – 1988
Rating – 3/5
When I originally ordered the Nothing Underneath and Too Beautiful to Die double feature I was under the impression that both films were paired together because they were Body Double clones. As I stated in my previous films, I had never seen Body Double nor do I know what it’s about but I was looking forward to both of these films. It wasn’t until I was putting my reviews together for them that I realized that they are sequels in a loose sense.
Nothing Underneath was originally released in Italy under Sotto Il Vestito Niente and Too Beautiful to Die was released as Sotto Il Vestito Niente II. Both films follow similar stories but are not really connected together by characters or anything like that. Regardless, I enjoyed both of them but Nothing Underneath is the better film.
**Spoiler Alert** The film begins at a party threw by the owner of a talent agency for all his models. However, in the early hours of the morning one of them is found dead. The talent agent and his models all have alibies but as the police investigate the matter other models start turning up dead all with connections to the party that night and what really happened. **Spoiler Alert**
I can see how Too Beautiful to Die would be considered a loose sequel to Nothing Underneath but both films can be enjoyed out of order. Their connection only being beautiful women finding the business end of a knife. With that being said, it’s still a wildly entertaining film that really does remind me of the films I would sneak and watch late at night on Cinemax.
The acting in this one is not the best I’ve seen but it’s not bad. The characters, much like Nothing Underneath, are generic and one dimensional but the cast does the best with what they were given. I wish some of the more prominent characters would have been given memorable personalities or stuck out from the crowd but it’s not too bad as it is.
The story for this one is pretty much the same as the first film except some minor differences. The first involved models who are stalked and murdered…while Too Beautiful to Die is another film where beautiful models are stalked and murdered. The first film does have a bit of a more sinister feel especially when the killer is revealed and what happened to the protagonist’s sister. However, this film is a little more polished, artsy, and predictable. It’s not a bad film but I enjoyed Nothing Underneath more.
Finally, the film has blood and beautiful women but don’t expect memorable or gory deaths. They work for the film but don’t expect something to stick with you. Overall, Too Beautiful to Die is a solid follow up to Nothing Underneath but it’s not on the same level. It’s worth a watch but don’t expect a movie that will be revisited over and over.
Special Features:
Region Free 2-disc Blu-ray Set
Newly scanned & restored in 4k from their 35mm original negatives
Both films presented in their original English language soundtrack along with an optional Italian dub track (untranslated)
Reversible cover artwork
English SDH subtitles for both films
Disc #1 NOTHING UNDERNEATH
Commentary track by The Hysteria Continues!
Commentary track by film historian and critic Rachael Nisbet
“Murders a la Mode” – an interview with screenwriter Enrico Vanzina
“Murder He Wrote” – an interview with screenwriter Franco Ferrini
“High Fashion Music” – an interview with composer Pino Donaggio
“Models, Murders and Italy” – an interview with actor Tom Schanley
Disc #2 TOO BEAUTIFUL TO DIE
Commentary track by film historian and critic Rachael Nisbet
“Nothing True But The Eyes” – an interview with writer/director Dario Piana
Alternate ending storyboards
Deleted Scenes Storyboards
